The Mariners have added right-hander Nolan Kingham off waivers from the Rangers, taking advantage of a roster move Texas made last week when it designated him for assignment. Seattle had room on its 40-man roster, so the club was able to make the claim and send Kingham straight to Triple-A Tacoma without needing another transaction.
Kingham is 29 and only recently reached the majors for the first time. His path to that moment has been a winding one.
Atlanta drafted him in 2018, but he was released in March of 2024 and went to the Mexican League, where he pitched for Sultanes de Monterrey. He was still there when the 2026 season opened.
He started this year strong, putting up a 1.82 earned run average in six starts, which helped earn him a minor league deal with Texas. After reporting to Triple-A Round Rock, he worked 46 1/3 innings across 11 appearances.
The 6.99 ERA doesn’t jump off the page in a good way, but it came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 21.5% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate were all in the ordinary range, while a .344 batting average on balls in play and 62.3% strand rate helped push the ERA higher.
Texas called him up earlier this month, and he made one big league appearance, giving up one run in one inning.
For Seattle, the move comes with little downside. The Mariners already had multiple open 40-man spots, and they just trimmed from their rotation by trading out Luis Castillo.
Their top five still includes Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock, with prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan also on the way. If they need another arm for a spot start or a long relief role, Casey Lawrence has already opted out of his minor league deal.
Kingham also comes with a full set of options, which gives Seattle the ability to keep him in Tacoma for a while if he holds onto his 40-man spot.
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